DOLE issues rules to ensure call center employees' health, safety

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Labor (DOLE) issued on Friday its policy guidelines which aims to ensure the occupational safety and health (OSH) of employees working in the call center industry. Labor Sec. Arturo Brion said the circular aims to address the safety and health concerns that could undermine the workers' physical, mental, and psychological well-being and subsequently the workers' efficiency in the performance of their job. Brion said the guidelines - outlined in Department Circular No. 1, series of 2008 - should guide call center firms in formulating an OSH program. "All call centers should comply with the guidelines not only to ensure the safety and well-being of their workers but also the productivity and growth of the call center industry itself," Brion said. Brion said the guidelines were issued to protect call center workers, considering the nature of their jobs as well as their working environment. "It is usually very cold inside a call center but hot outside of it. The combination may produce health problems such as cough, cold, dry itchy throat, and other voice problems. At the same time, call center workers perform their job using computers and telephones uninterrupted for long hours with minimal movements that may cause eye strain, hearing problems, and musculo-skeletal symptoms," Brion said. "The workers are also subjected to stress and pressure due to quotas and constant monitoring. Graveyard shifts, on the other hand, pose a threat to women workers' physical safety and reproductive capability," he added. Under the DOLE Circular, each call center will formulate an OSH policy addressing the priority safety and health concerns in accordance with OSH and other related OSH issuances. The OSH program shall include: • Hazard and risk prevention and control to reduce the extent of workers' exposure to hazards and decrease the likelihood for those hazards to cause illness or injury; • Capability building for members of the call center's safety and health committee to undertake risk management activities through information, training, and work environment safety and health interventions; • Referral and access to medical and welfare services that should address the physical, ergonomic, and psychological aspects of the work environment as well as the health and safety needs of the workers. The guidelines also requires employers tp make available OSH and welfare facilities to workers with specific needs such as pregnant or lactating women, young, older, and differently-abled workers. Brion said DOLE's Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) will assist call centers and coordinate with them the provision of training, information, and technical assistance in the implementation of the safety and health program in line with the Zero Accident Program. He also said the Labor Inspectorate of DOLE Regional Offices is tasked for the enforcement and monitoring of call centers' compliance with the provisions of the Circular. - GMANews.TV